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Kazan: “Closed for Renovation”
“Closed for Renovation” became a familiar refrain on my recent visit to Kazan, capitol of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. As host city for the 27th Universiade Summer Games, Kazan has been undergoing a makeover. Dozens of museums, hotels, and Orthodox churches and mosques (the city has plenty of both) are being cleaned up. And with less than a month to go before the opening event in the brand new 45,000 seat Kazan Arena, work across the city has reached a feverish pace. In these photographs I tried to capture this period of transition. When I was last here […]
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New Kazan
Kazan, located in the Republic of Tatarstan, is often referred to as the “Third Capital” of Russia. The city has grown dramatically in recent years as a scientific and cultural center. Kazan will host both the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and dozens of sports stadiums and venues are already under construction. Both Islamic and Christian traditions exist side by side in the city. The Qolsharif mosque, originally destroyed by Ivan the Terrible in the sixteenth century, was rebuilt in 2005, though with a more modern design. The juxtaposition of old and new, and the reinvention […]
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